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July 5, 2003
Wimbledon Pre-Final
By ASAP Sports
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have a
10-minute interview. We'll give the English press perhaps five minutes,
then the others in the other languages, the second five minutes. So if
you could bear with us on that. We'll start with English.
Q. Is there any doubt in your mind, having produced a sort of
near perfect game to beat Andy Roddick, it will be hard to maintain
that level of form in the final?
ROGER FEDERER: It will be very tough, you know. I don't think I
played a perfect game, you know, but it was definitely a very good
match. You know, concentration level was high all the time, you know,
and I could maintain that on my own service games. I gave myself
chances on the return game. So, you know, it will be difficult to play
the same way. I'll just have to try to have the same approach and, you
know, hope that I can play a good match.
Q. The emotional high of playing that well in such a big match, is it difficult then to prepare for the next match?
ROGER FEDERER: It makes you feel good, like on a day today
where you have a day off and you can just go out and hit some balls.
It's normal that you feel good out there, you know, because you know
you played well here and you played a good match the day before. But
all this, you know, doesn't really matter right now. Everything's like
forgotten. All you need to take is the confidence you got. I got this
the last month on grass, because I've been really playing great tennis.
I haven't lost a match. And if I could finish off the grass court
season by not losing a match, that would be just fantastic.
Q. You've produced some of your best performances in Davis Cup.
The fact that you're playing someone you'll be playing in the semifinal
in two months does that add an extra something?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, it does. Already when I played him in
Hamburg, you know - me anyway - I'm thinking a little bit already about
that upcoming match in Davis Cup, you know. So that was a
disappointment for me to lose against him on clay in Hamburg, you know.
I really tried to get it back, then to also feel better when I play him
in Davis Cup.
Q. It's been a pretty good time with Switzerland with sport with the America's Cup. Do you feel pressure to follow that up?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I don't feel pressure. I was very pleased
what I saw about the America's Cup, you know. And all the other sports
in Switzerland also have been doing good, you know. I'm just happy to
carry the Swiss flag on the men's side of the tennis, you know. So I
don't feel any pressure from that side.
Q. Since beating Sampras two years ago, the high expectation you
talked about, do you feel now tomorrow is the chance to show people who
have talked about underachievement, to knock that completely on its
head?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, definitely if I win, that's for sure the
case. Already now I feel much better, you know. Just relieved in a way,
you know, that I could perform in Grand Slams because that was really
the only part of my career missing, the Grand Slam results. So already
now it's already a great two weeks, you know, but I could finish it off
in great style tomorrow. So I give it all and hopefully I can do it.
Q. You're still entered for Gstaad?
ROGER FEDERER: Yep.
Q. You'll play that whatever happens?
ROGER FEDERER: I'll play it, yeah. For sure. I'm not thinking
too much about it, but I'm happy to go there because it's a -- I'm back
in Switzerland. I like to be there. They treat me really nice up there.
The people are nice at the tournament. But right now, I'm too focused
on this tournament, so...
Q. Big party, yes?
ROGER FEDERER: Could be. Hope so.
Q. Yesterday you returned very well against Andy but you were
staying back. Tomorrow you will face a big server, somebody who is
coming in. It makes it more difficult for you or do you like to have a
target you can return?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, as I said yesterday in the press
conference, it's a different game tomorrow, totally. Because he's gonna
follow his serve and he's got to -- I would say a flatter serve. Andy's
ball bounces higher. So maybe you cannot take a step against Andy --
against Mark, you've got to stay maybe closer to the baseline. I still
have to figure that out. It's gonna be different returning also for me.
Probably won't be enough to chip it like I did against Andy. I mean, I
just have to adjust and hopefully I'll get chances on the second shot
to pass him.
Q. Now that you've had a chance to let it sink in, is it hard to
focus on the tennis tomorrow and not get too caught up with the
occasion and the fact that you're going to be playing in a Grand Slam
final, and it's something presumably you've thought about since you
were a kid?
ROGER FEDERER: Somehow, you know -- I wouldn't say
"disappointed," but you always dream about being in the finals. Then
you're in the final, and you're almost a little bit disappointed, you
know, because you think it's actually so great, you know - and it is. I
really enjoy it, being in the final, having the opportunity. But
somehow, as a player, you live through these two weeks. I am already 5
in the world. So it's -- of course it's a surprise, in a way. But in
one way, also not, because I'm ranked so high. If I would be -- I don't
know, it would be totally different I would be -- come through
qualifying or, you know, nobody expected it. But myself, I have high
expectations; people have it. So for that reason, it's gonna be, I
mean, similar match to -- or similar approach to what I've had so far,
you know. And the only thing is, is that there is no after, you know,
there's just one match now and, you know, I really hope I can take the
chance.
Q. Will you sleep well tonight?
ROGER FEDERER: Falling asleep was not so easy. Just pictures
going through my head, you know. But then once I was asleep, I think it
was okay, so...
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